Changing the future: experiencing adolescence in contemporary Ireland: sexual health and behaviour.

If we create the space in which children and young people can talk openly and in their own language even upon challenging subjects such as sex, then we are likely to learn more from what they tell usâ?T proposes the final UNICEF Ireland report which examines adolescent perspectives on sexual health and behaviour. Key findings in the report included: 63%, and 1 in 5 sixteen year old respondents, reported that they have had sex; 1 in 5 sexually active respondents reported that they did not use a condom the first time that they had sex; 2 in 5 girls who were sexually active reported that they had consumed alcohol before their first sexual experience, compared to 3 in 10 boys; The majority of respondents (54%) reported that they had watched pornography on the internet, and more than one third of the respondents who had watched pornography on the internet believed that it was accurate or educational; Only 1 in 5 respondents reported that they ever speak to their parents about sex. Noting â?~the broad spectrum from which young people living in Ireland draw down information about sexâ?T the UNICEF Ireland report concludes that â?~we must be sure that when a young person is making decisions about their sexual health and behaviour, every opportunity is afforded them in terms of open discussion, understanding, support, information and adviceâ?T Commenting on the Report, Amel Yucef a Youth Health Coordinator at the Base Youth Centre, Ballyfermot said â?oAs the participants in UNICEF Irelandâ?Ts survey have shown, many young people do not feel equipped with the information and support they need to make informed choices about their sexual health. Providing those supports is a priority for us at the Base.â? The Youth Health Programme, that Amel co-ordinates is a HSE funded initiative which was created to respond to the health needs of young people, as identified by the young people of the Dublin 10 area themselves. The Programme delivers community-based and youth-friendly health responses, based upon a harm-reduction model. The Youth Health Programme works towards building the capacity of young people to access health services, while also encouraging those services to deliver in an accessible and youth-friendly way.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

A FITTER FUTURE FOR ALL: PROGRESS REPORT 2012-2014

This report outlines the progress made during the first two years of the implementation of A Fitter Future for All. It is important to acknowledge that whilst the Framework was launched in March 2012, it took time to put in place mechanisms to oversee the co-ordination of the various delivery partners and to establish the Regional Obesity Prevention Implementation Group, and subsequent Action Plans. The implementation of the Framework has been progressing, and steps are underway for completing many of the short term outcomes within the agreed timeframes - 2012 to 2015. However, we also recognise that we need to continue to prioritise this area and we are not complacent about the challenge ahead.

The Role and Future Development of the Meals-on-Wheels Service for Older People in Ireland

This report provides, for the first time, a snapshot of the meals-on-wheels service in Ireland and gives a unique insight into client and provider perceptions of the service. The research findings underline the dual importance of the service for clients, who noted that it is a vital source of both nutritious meals and social contact and connectivity to the wider community. From a supply side perspective, the research findings point to the wide organisational diversity that exists within the service and the critical role that volunteers play, as well as highlighting difficulties that many services currently experience.

Cardiovascular disease mortality: trends at different ages

Despite a dramatic reduction since the late 1960s, cardiovascular disease remains the largest cause of death in Australia.Cardiovascular disease mortality: trends at different ages examines recent data to determine if the observed decrease in cardiovascular disease deaths since the 1960s is shared across disease sub-types and among different population groups.This report includes information on the past and recent trends of key cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke, and describes how trends vary on the basis of age group and sex. International trends are also presented for comparison.The analyses presented in this report help to better understand what is driving the observed decrease in cardiovascular disease deaths, and are a useful resource for policy makers, researchers and health professionals interested in cardiovascular diseases.

Trends in world inequality in life span since 1970

The trends in the variance of length of life, and in the variance of length of adult life in particular, are not well understood, while world inequality in length of adult life has remained stagnant. This��research��from the National Bureau of Economic Research (US)��examines life-span inequality in a broad, balanced panel of 180 rich and poor countries observed in 1970 and 2000. While the share of inequality within countries has decreased over time, inequalities between different countries have unambiguously increased. �� ��

Future dementia care in Ireland: A guide

A new guide on dementia�� in Ireland was launched June 19 by Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch. The guide was developed to disseminate to the public, and in lay man's terms, the key findings contained in a report entitled 'Creating Excellence in Dementia Care: A Research Review to inform Ireland's National Dementia Strategy.' The new guide is a joint collaboration between�� the Living with Dementia programme, Trinity College Dublin, and the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG), NUI Galway. The research work was funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies and supported by the Department of Health.Access the guide here: http://livingwithdementia.tcd.ie/assets/pdf/Future_Dementia_Care_in_Irel...

CARDI Research Brief: Future demand for long-term care in Ireland

With the population across the island of Ireland growing older, the issue of how to provide and pay for care in the home and in residential settings is becoming more urgent. It is important that a strategy for providing long-term care for an ageing population is put in place, and understanding what the demand for care will be is a major part of this. As a result, CARDI funded a research project led by Professor Charles Normand at Trinity College Dublin which aimed to develop a predictive model of future long-term care demand in NI and ROI.This research brief contains information collated by CARDI and a summary of the findings in the full report, Towards the Development of a Predictive Model of Long-Term Care Demand for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Wren et al., 2012).

Building Consensus for the Future - Report of the Feasibility Study on Palliative Care for People with Dementia

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland have launched a report "Building Consensus for the Future: Report of the Feasibility Study on Palliative Care for People with Dementia".�� The report outlines the findings of a research project carried out in association with the Irish Hospice Foundation.

Breastfeeding in the East Midlands: patterns, trends and data quality issues

Breastfeeding has important health benefits for both mother and child. Breastfed babies are less likely to report with gastric, respiratory and urinary tract infections and allergic diseases, while they are also less likely to become obese in later childhood. Improving breastfeeding initiation has become a national priority, and a national target has been set ̢?oto deliver an increase of two percentage points per annum in breastfeeding initiation rate, focusing especially on women from disadvantaged areas̢?. Despite improvements in data quality in previous years, it still remains difficult to construct an accurate and reliable picture of variations and trends in breastfeeding in the East Midlands. It is essential that nationally standardised data collection systems are put in place to enable effective and accurate monitoring and evaluation of breastfeeding status both at a local and national level.

Health Trends within the East Midlands - 2008 Update

This is an analysis of health trends and inequalities in the East Midlands covering the period 1995 - 2006. Focusing on high-level health indicators, the report gives an overview of health in the East Midlands and evaluates regional trends in relation to national PSA targets. For the first time the report includes obesity prevalence data (adults and children) highlighting the growing importance of obesity within public health. The report also covers: - Life expectancy at birth - Mortality rate from circulatory disease in people aged under 75 - Mortality rate from cancer in people aged under 75 - Mortality rate from accidents in people of all ages - Suicide rate in people of all ages - Teenage pregnancy rate - Prevalence of cigarette smoking in people aged 16 and over (male/female)

Health Trends within the East Midlands - 2009 Update

This is an analysis of health trends and inequalities in the East Midlands covering the period 1995 - 2007. Focusing on high-level health indicators, the report gives an overview of health in the East Midlands and evaluates regional trends.

Monitoring trends in health in the East Midlands

A report published in 2002, Monitoring the State of the East Midlands. Sustainable Development Objectives and Targets for the East Midlands. Health Indicators, proposed a set of seven high-level health indicators for monitoring health status and health inequalities in the Region. The report also proposed a number of health improvement and health inequality reduction targets drawn from key national and regional strategy documents including Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation and The East Midlands Integrated Regional Strategy. These relate to: - Life expectancy at birth. - Teenage pregnancy rate. - Mortality rate from circulatory disease in people aged under 75. - Mortality rate from cancer in people aged under 75. - Mortality rate from accidents in people of all ages. - Suicide rate in people of all ages. - Prevalence of cigarette smoking in people aged 16 and over. Progress towards these targets will indicate that the twin aims of the regional public health strategy Investment for Health - to improve health and to reduce health inequalities - are being achieved. This report updates these indicators with the latest available data. At the time of writing, data were available for years up to and including 2003 for most indicators. Please note that the latest data are provisional at this stage.

ONS Social Trends 35 - 2005

This edition features an overview chapter that highlights some of the major changes in society since Social Trends was first published. The UK has an ageing population, and growth in the minority ethnic population has resulted in a more diverse society. Household income has risen over the past 35 years, although income inequality has widened. Life expectancy has also increased but so have the number of years that we can expect to live in poor health or with a disability. Technology has transformed many of our lives and our dependence on the car is greater than ever.

Toying With Their Future

More than one million children in Britain are growing up in overcrowded, unfit, or emergency housing-conditions associated with serious health problems and poor education. This report, based on research done by the housing charity Shelter, showed that one in 12 children in England, Wales, and Scotland were at increased risk of developing diseases such as bronchitis, tuberculosis, or asthma because of their poor housing.

Addressing High Level ICT Skills Recruitment Needs

Ireland is a successful major centre for ICT operations with ten of the top ICT companies in the world having substantial operations here. The large talent pool of ICT professionals that exists here is valuable both for foreign-owned and Irish companies. The cluster of internationally renowned firms and Irish companies offer a range of attractive career opportunities for professionals. A range of skills recruitment difficulties have been raised through the work of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN), specifically the immediate issue of high-level ICT skills within both the ICT sector and from other sectors such as international financial services, banking and business services. Forfs, with the support of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, engaged in discussions with a selected range of foreign–owned and Irish companies employing approximately 30,000 employees to establish the nature of positions involved, the reasons for recruitment difficulties and to identify measures to help address them. Consultations were also held with key stakeholders including IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, ICT Ireland, Software Ireland, IT@Cork, Engineers Ireland and Dublin Chambers of Commerce. Discussions were held with the heads of the computing departments of all Universities and Institutes of Technology at a meeting chaired by the Higher Education Authority. An in-depth analysis of third-level ICT supply statistics and trends was undertaken to inform the research.